Poland Takes over Baltic Air Patrol

Poland has become the first former Warsaw Pact country to take responsibility for patrolling the air space of Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia. Polish pilots took over the rotating NATO mission from the US at a ceremony in northern Lithuania. Seventy Polish air force personnel will serve there. Poland joined NATO six years ago and it is the first time its pilots will patrol air space bordering Russia. Four Russian-made MiG-29 jets will be flown during the three-month mission. The planes have been specially upgraded by NATO to meet the alliance's standards.